Saturday, November 22, 2008

We touched down smoothly and as I looked out, I could see an Embraer 170 in Mokulele livery...Crap, I missed it.If you look closely in this picture (under the nose), you will see their other aircraft type, the Cessna Caravan. It was parked up at Kona as well.

We taxied up to the gate, where I disembarked. I could see a Delta Air Lines (DL) Boeing 757-200 sitting across the way and a US Airways Bowing 757-200 to my left.I looked for a sign for Mokulele, but nothing showed up. I then followed the signs to Baggage Claim, hoping to see a sign for their ticket counter, I did not.

I walked the length of the airport looking for the sign, but nothing. I saw signs for all the other airlines though. I then came back to the Information counter and the guy there said to follow the sidewalk. I did and it was next to the American Airlines ticket counter.The staff helping me out.The signs speak for themselves.

I told the agents my delayed flight story and asked them of they could tell who I was. They looked it up and voila they got the name correct. They were still in training mode, so they all came over and looked at the transaction so they could learn how to deal with it in the future. They were all so nice and took care of it without a charge for the change ($25).

Once I had my boarding pass, I walked around some more, checking the fare by taxi to the city 7 miles away which is $30. That made the decision for me whether or not to go into the city. Back at the Information counter, I asked if there was a local bus and was was told no.

I then went through security. As I was selected for extra screening, it took a little while longer to get through. Luckily I was the only person coming through security at the time. So, let me tell you, the TSA folks in Kona are the friendliest TSA agents I've ever encountered. A class act.

I then found a seat next to an outlet where I charged the G1 as it was complaining that it only had 15 minutes of power left.

As I waited, a United Airlines (UA) Boeing 777-200 was boarding for Chicago O'Hare (ORD); wow a 777 into Kona, good deal.The Delta Air Lines (DL) Boeing 757-200 with winglets as well as a US Airways Boeing 757-200 also with winglets were still there. In a few moments a Hawaiian Airlines (HA) Boeing 717-200 landed and taxied in to the gate.Here in Kona, gates 1-5 are separated from 6-10.

The United 777 pushed back and left under the cover of darkness.At about 7:05p, the aircraft showed up. I took the opportunity to get some pictures as it taxied in.Soon, 18 passengers deplaned; almost immediately, it was time to board. An announcement was made for First Class passengers first and then one for the rest of us. There were no first class passengers.